Inform, Entertain, Engage – Personalized Video and why you need to be using it yesterday

By Mike Elliott, 4/22/2015

Personalized video—using your supporters’ real data to talk to them in a one-to-one fashion—is unparalleled for relationship building and information sharing. We have to show your supporters the need, and tell your story. Need that reason to send another email that doesn’t look like an ask? Read on to see what you can realize when executing a personalized video campaign.

213% increase in revenue per name, tenfold rise in sharing, increased time on site, a more meaningful engagement with your supporters. This is just some of the impact Innovairre Communications has seen when using personalized video for our clients.

Inform

Video lifts response…there is no way around that fact. Text is nice, photos are nicer, video is even better, but personalized video is the cat’s pajamas! While just saying, “Hundreds of animals that need help are in shelters right now,” is generally successful, imagine the difference made when your donor or prospect sees in their browser, phone, or tablet the faces of those animals that need their help, along with their own name, where they are from, and other personal data. Not only do you show the need, but you show that you know them as a supporter.

Entertain

“Mike, I need your help right now.” Let’s face it, when you see your name in a moving video, it is pretty darn entertaining. Not only do you want to watch the video and see and even hear your name, but you want to watch it over and over again. When you provide good content in an entertaining fashion, you and your organization win. If you can bring to life the need, the ask, the reason for contacting your donors/prospects in a way that not only informs but entertains, you can almost count on your content being watched over and over again by not only the recipient but those close to them.

“Now, how the heck do I send this to Mom or Facebook?” While you can’t guarantee your content is going to get shared, you can at least stack the deck in your favor. Nothing is better than your supporters sharing your content, and the way to make that happen is to tell a great story. By telling a story in a meaningful way on a social, shareable platform, you not only get your message out but enable your supporter to be able to send it quickly to friends. Friends telling friends is yet another way to build critical mass around your mission and fundraising efforts. Get behind that social curtain and into a new sea of supporters.

Engage

Does “in your town” show that you know them?Your supporters and potential supporters have taken time out of their day to open your email and click on your video. Do you really think a video that says, “We are working hard in your town,” shows that you know them? Use the power of data and the flexibility of personalized video to show that you know them personally: “Mike, in Columbus, Ohio and with your support we built 5 houses to get homeless youth off the streets.” Which approach do you think will elicit that all-important second gift?

Show your supporter that you know him or her personally. They aren’t just an ATM set to spit out money when you ask. Demonstrate in a meaningful way that you know they are a person providing their hard-earned money because they believe in your mission…and in you…through personalized video.

– Mike Elliott is VP of Interactive Services of Innovairre Communications. For more information about personalized video or other donor engagement, contact us at Answers@Innovairre.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter,